You're Not Alone Kirito x Reader
by Theanomini
Summary: You have always been a girl who loved video games. You were often considered a 'Legend' and were a naturally great and powerful player. One day, you are gifted the newly requested game, SAO. What happens when you realize that you are stuck inside a virtual world forever? Reader-insert.
1. Launch Day: Chapter 1

Author's Note: Before you begin, notice that after joining the game, when it says [Name], it means her in game name, not her real name. Enjoy the story!

"Here, [Name]. This is for you." Your father spoke, handing you a copy of the just released game, SAO.

"Eh?" You asked, looking down at the newly bought copy.

You had been waiting for this game to release for months, but having it in your very own hands surprised you more than you thought it would have. What was your father doing buying it for you?

"This is for me?" You asked in confusion.

Your father chuckled.

"Of course it's for you, [Name]." He smiled.

"But I thought you hated me playing video games?" You asked once again.

"I do." He frowned. "But I know how long you've been waiting for this game to release."

"Really?" You squealed from excitement.

"And I remember how disappointed you were whenever you didn't get beta tester, so I wanted to get it for you."

You jumped in joy as you wrapped your arms around your father in excitement.

"Thank you so much, Papa." You spoke, tears attempting to escape your eyes.

"Go on, [Name]." He nodded, giving you approval to leave at once. "Go enjoy that new game of yours."

You smiled as you shut your door with delight. You quickly made your way beside your computer, opening your disk tray and placing the newly bought CD inside. Momentarily, you hooked your NerveGear into it's corresponding slot and lied yourself down, placing the NerveGear over your head. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for what was to come.

"[G/N], let's do this." You sighed, flipping on the power switch.

A smile arose on your face as you shut your eyes. 'Link start.' You thought to yourself, causing the NerveGear to begin it's sensory process and language settings to appear. You quickly logged in, excitement running through your veins. You couldn't wait any longer, you needed to play this game. You went through character creation, making a beautiful woman with (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes. You typed in your usual gamer name and finished the selection, entering the game. You looked down at your feet, realizing your change in body as you looked around to see new players appear all beside you.

"Hmph." You muttered, slightly upset about the amount of people online.

How in the world were you supposed to get good if you had this many people to deal with? You sighed, rubbing the back of your head in annoyance. You made your way through all the players, eventually making it to the shopping district where you found dozens of other people as well.

"Damn it…"You sighed.

"Pretty lady, what's wrong?" An older man spoke, appearing by your side.

"Eh?" You screeched, stumbling backwards, away from the man. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know what's wrong." He spoke with a seductive smile.

"Nothing." You replied upsettingly. "Which of these stores sells staffs?"

"None." A voice replied from behind you.

You quickly jolted around, finding a blue haired man around the age of twenty walk beside you.

"Magic isn't a skill in SAO."

"Are you telling me that there are no staffs? Not even mage books-" You began to rant in confusion.

"The game is strictly melee-based. Hand-to-hand combat." He spoke with a straight face.

"No way!" You yelled, shaking your head in anger. "I don't want to play then!"

"You're not acting your age little lady." The older man said, approaching you once again.

"Back off!" You yelled, slapping the man across his face.

The man looked at you in shock as he looked around in embarrassment and ran away. You sighed. Why did men in games always do this?

"I wish this would've happened when I first started playing." The man chuckled.

Your face turned bright red at the mans joke.

"Were you a beta-tester or something? You seem to know a lot about the game."

"Yes, but don't tell anyone." He whispered. "The name's Diabel, and you are?"

"I'm [Name]. It's nice to meet you." You spoke, shaking his hand.

"What're you doing playing SAO? Not saying woman can't, it's just that not many seem to be interested in games like these."

"It was a gift from my father, I've been waiting for this game for a few months now." You admitted.

"Woah. Hardcore fan I see? Why didn't you sign up for the beta-test?" He asked.

"I did. I was just too late to get in."

A few seconds of silence filled the air, covered by the excessive talking of other players.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He frowned.

"It's okay." You smiled. "I'm going to get going, but I'll see you around, okay?"

Diabel smiled, waving at you.

"I'll see you around, [Name]!"

After your conversation with Diabel, you began to make your way through all the other players, eventually stumbling onto a player around your height, sitting alone at the back of the shopping district. You watched the caped player from afar as they snuck past one of the shops NPC's, grabbing a weapon from the back.

"Hey!" You yelled, running toward the player.

The player quickly jumped in surprise. As they noticed you, they began to run in the opposite direction in means of fleeing.

"Hey! Get back here!" You nagged, chasing the player throughout the crowd.

Eventually after a minute of running after the player, the player stopped in an ally. As they had realized that it was a dead end, they gave up and dropped the loot. You stopped, panting from the excessive exercise.

"What do you think you're doing stealing from an NPC?" You criticized. "What? You can't make money and buy the weapon fair and square?"

You walked toward the dropped weapon as you picked it up and examined it.

"This weapon is a piece of crap anyways, what did you expect to do with it? Kill a few pigs or something?" You scoffed.

The player remained silent, allowing your anger to boil more and more by the second.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" You asked, walking toward the player.

The player quickly stood up and readied their sword in front of them. Their face and body was entirely covered with their cape, and you could barley even see the sword being wielded underneath it.

"Hey… No need to get physical." You spoke jokingly. "I just wanted to know what you were doing."

"I think that it's time for me to log out." The player spoke.

The player sounded like a girl around your age, surprising you just a bit.

"I guess I'll do the same. We've been playing for quite a while, right?" You chuckled, opening up your main menu alongside the girl.

You clicked through the options, eventually getting to the last option.

"Huh?" You muttered. "It's blank."

You scratched your head in confusion. Where was the log out button?

"Is your logout button there?" You asked the girl.

"Mine's not here either." She spoke.

"But it has to be somewhere…" You spoke, clicking through all the options. "Maybe-"

"I tried calling a game master already." She interrupted. "It's no use."

You chuckled, filling to awkward silence.

"It's no big deal. Just more time for us to get to know each other, right?" You smiled. "I'm sure the server admins are working on it right now."

You stood quietly as you received no response from the girl.

"Why're you so quiet anyways?" You blurted out.

Your eyes widened as you realized what you had said.

"I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean it like-"

"I'm on here alone." She scoffed. "I don't need friends."

"I'm on here alone as well. Maybe we could make a party together and-"

Suddenly, the city bell began to ring, taking you both by surprise. In just a mere second, you appeared in the center of town beside the player you were just speaking to.

"A forced teleport? But why?" You spoke, looking around to find many others just as confused.

At the exact moment you spoke, the sky filled with red warning signs as an enormous floating figure appeared in front of everyone.

"What is that?" You heard one person say.

"Is this planned?"

"That's a game master!"

You gulped down your saliva. You had a bad feeling about all of this, but you just couldn't explain it.

"Attention, players," The game master spoke. "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

Lots of commotion arose beside you, but you ignored it all as you continued to listen intently to the man.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu."

"See, I told you that they'd-"You began confidently.

"But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."

Your body began to shake, as you felt shock enter your body.

"You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one from the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

"What?" You muttered to yourself with turmoil.

You looked at others with sympathy as you realized how panicked they had become.

"Unfortunately, several players friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world." He continued.

Several views of websites and news reports appeared around him as he continued to speak.

"As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed in now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game."

That man! How dare he act so civil and relaxed about all of this! And expect he expects you to relax? He's trapping you inside of a game for god's sake! Still, no matter what he says, this game won't be too hard to win, you could probably do it in a few months if you really tried.

"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Your eyes widened in shock as you began to feel panicked.

"There is only one means of escape, to complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the floor boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game. Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

You quickly opened up your main menu, navigating to your inventory to find a mirror. You tapped on the item, catching it in your hand. You looked down at yourself to see your created character. What was the point of this? Suddenly, you looked around to see new and unfamiliar faces. What was going on?  
You looked back down at your mirror to see your real face as you dropped the mirror in shock. Why was this happening?

"Right now, you're probably wondering, 'Why'? Why would Kayabo Akihiko developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved…" He spoke. "I created Sword Art Online for one reason, to create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete."

"Damn it…" You muttered.

You knew something wasn't right.

"This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch."

No, no, no… This couldn't be happening. Your father! Your family! What if you can't beat it? What if you die? This can't be true...

"Good luck, players."

And with that, Kayaba disappeared, starting your new life in SAO.


	2. Not Much of a Game Anymore: Chapter 2

"What?" You heard one person in the crowd shout out.

"This can't be true!"

"Let me out of here, you monster!"

You looked around at the others, trying to figure out what you were to do. Everyone was panicking or refusing the fact that what Kayaba said was true. But what if it was? You had to get started as soon as you could. You quickly turned around to speak to the player you were recently talking to, to find her gone. You sighed, making your way through the crowd and toward town. After a few minutes, you eventually found yourself quite lost, with no one around. The town had gotten dark and the street lights were now on. You found yourself in an ally, feeling regretful of your choice.

"What're you doing out here?" You heard a voice say beside you.

The figure was covered by the shadow, and you weren't able to pick out who the player was. You quickly wielded your blade in front of you, in defense as the figure walked into the light. It was a man that looked similar to a player you had met earlier, Diabel.

"Diabel?" You spoke, bringing your sword back to your side. "Is that you?"

The man's eyes widened, but then quickly reverted back to comfort.

"I assume that you are [Name]?" He smiled warmly. "Right?"

You looked at the man with a confused facial expression. How did he not know who you were? Your eyes widened as you realized that all the players appearances had changed.

"Oh right…" You said disappointingly. "Our appearances have changed."

"It's nice to see you again." He spoke, motioning you two walk beside him. "What're you doing away from the center?"

You jumped at his sudden question, but quickly responded.

"Oh! Right." You muttered. "I was planning on going to the next town before everyone else, but I got lost after a few minutes of walking."

Diabel stopped as you finished your sentence and chuckled.

"You do know that there's a map, right?"

Your eyes widened.

"Eh?" You screeched.

You quickly went through your main menu, searching through all the options.

"Where?" You began to speak excessively. "Where is it?"

Diabel's laugh begin to get louder and louder, becoming harder and harder to hold in.

"You're looking in the wrong spot." He spoke, finally calming down.

The man opened up his menu beside yours, as he showed you where it was.

"So that's where the next town is?" You spoke, pointing to one of the red dots on the digitalized map.

"Yeah, just be careful, there are a few monsters around there that you might not be able to-"He spoke in a unsure tone.

You pulled out your blade once again, looking right at the man with a devious smirk.

"What were you saying?" You said, confidently.

Diabel's unsure expression soon turned into amusement.

"You've played MMO's before." He assumed.

"Yep." You scoffed.

"But even if you have, this game is different now." He spoke with uncertainty. "It's not much of a game anymore."

"I know." You responded boldly, making the man force a small smile onto his face.

"Our lives are on the line now-"

"Then I guess that means we will just have to win, right?" You smiled, leaving the man surprised at your confidence.

You looked at the man joyfully as you turned around and began to walk in the direction of the exit. After a few seconds of walking, you turned around, surprised to not see Diabel by your side.

"Are you not coming with me?" You asked.

"Not yet. I have to help a few of my friends before I go along to the next town." He sighed.

You smiled as you turned around.

"Then, I'll see you soon, Diabel."

"Be careful, [Name]." He spoke, watching you walk in the direction of the grass field centered between the starter town and the next town.

"Will do!" You spoke, raising your hand up in the air to wave goodbye. "Have fun with your friends!"

You continued to make your way past the buildings of the beginning town as you overlooked the path in front of you. You turned around once again, disappointed to not see anyone by your side. You were left alone, again. You continued to walk as you looked to your right, to see the sun setting. It was so hard to believe that you were in a game. It all felt so real. Why would Kayaba want to ruin this for all these innocent players? You continued to walk, considering several thoughts in your head, aiding your confusion even more.  
You suddenly felt something behind you as you quickly turned around to find a wolf before your eyes. How did the tutorials say to do this again?

"Activate a skill," You spoke, holding onto your sword. "And then just attack the monster."

Your blade begin to glow as the wolf got closer by the second. You quickly rushed past the wolf, slashing its side with your sword. After the skill was used, you stopped yourself and turned around to find a result screen floating in the air.

"Hm?" You muttered, walking toward the screen.

You read the results quietly to yourself as you eventually realized that you were still at the lowest level. You sighed to yourself as you continued walking, eventually killing some more monsters, and making your way into the town. You looked up to see the buildings forming the 2nd town, Horunka. You walked into the town, surprised by the lack of players there. You looked around intently as you found an inn to stay at. Your eyes began to drag themselves down as you shut the door behind you, looking at yourself in the mirror. Your body was just like the one you had in the real world, but your outfit was so different. You sighed, falling face first straight onto the bed. You lazily turned yourself around to look up at the ceiling.

"You're in a game, [Name]." You spoke to yourself. "You hear that?"

You sighed, rubbing your eyes, as your drowsiness over came you. This was going to be a long 100 levels. This was going to be a hard game to win.

"Knights of Arkay…" You mumbled to yourself as you shifted the hood over your (h/c) colored head. "I'm sorry that I've disappointed you.


	3. The White Hooded Cloak: Chapter 3

It had been a month since you had been forced into the world of SAO, and every minute, you aimed to achieve excellence. But excellence seemed more and more impossible everyday in this world. You had lived here for an entire month alongside so many others, and the boss room had still not been found. Being a solo player meant no help from others, but you had heard others having a commotion about some meeting in town about the boss. Some people said that the beta testers were certain to be there, while others believed that they had already beaten the level, leaving the newer players behind. You didn't believe that you needed help from others, but getting to know a few people in the same situation as you could definitely help you out in the long run. You walked into the meeting area, glancing over at the few people who seemed to stick out.

"Okay! Lets get started people!" A voice spoke.

As you rushed your way to sit, you noticed who was conducting the meeting, it was Diabel.

"Thank you for coming today!" He continued enthusiastically. "My name is Diabel. I like to consider by job as "Knight"."

People began to laugh at his comment, making you feel uneasy.

"There's no job system in this game!" One person called out.

The others began to make rude comments, making you consider calling them out. But before you had the chance to decide, Diabel continued to speak.

"Today our team found the boss room at the top of the tower."

"Seriously?" Everyone spoke, shocked at the mans statement.

"We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game."

Of course it's possible to beat this game. Why else would Kayaba put you all in here? It's not like he'd actually want everyone to be stuck in a game for eternity.

"Everyone present here shares this duty!" He spoke. "Do you all agree?"

People nodded their heads in agreement, making you wonder. Which one of these people is going to take advantage of all of this? There's going to have to be someone. People began to clap, a few people whistling.

"All right," He smiled. "Then let us begin our planning. First, divide into parties of six. An ordinary party has no chance against a floor boss."

Your eyes widened as you watched most people speaking to their friends.

"Of course we'd all be in the same group, right?"

You began to count all the groups, seeing that they all had 6, except for two people on the outskirts. You quickly scooted over to a black haired boy who seemed your age, who had been sitting next to- wait a minute! That's that girl you caught stealing last month!

"You." You stated, looking at the caped girl intently. "What're you doing here?"

"What?" The boy spoke, obviously confused at what you were getting at.

He opened up his menu, sending a party invite to the girl.

"Would you mind if I joined you guys? I don't exactly have anyone to join." You chuckled awkwardly.

"Mhm." He muttered, sending you an invite as well.

"Thank you," You spoke, reading your new teammates names. "Kirito-kun."

Kirito nodded, facing back toward Diabel. You quickly read over the girls name, still aggravated with your last meeting. Asuna...

"Okay, have you formed your parties?" He spoke. "Then-"

"Just a second!" A voice yelled from behind everyone.

The man jumped past everyones seats and made his way in front of Diabel.

"My name's Kibaou." He spoke, pointing to himself. "I wanna say something before we take on the boss."

You looked over at Kirito and Asuna, glad you had found at least these two people to party with.

"Some of you here need to apologize to the 2,000 who have died so far!" He yelled, pointing out to the crowd.

Although you were dozing off, when you heard the mans accusation, your eyebrows furrowed in aggravation. How could he say that it was another individuals fault for the death of another? Where was he going with this?

"Kibaou-san, are you referring to the beta-testers?" Diabel questioned.

"Of course I am!" He agreed. "On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so only they could get stronger. And then, they just ignored the rest of us."

What an irresponsible accusation. No wonder Diabel was so secretive about being a beta-tester.

"I'm sure someone here was in the beta!" He continued. "They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all their items and money they've hoarded. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party members, and they shouldn't trust us!"

As the man spoke, you looked over at Kirito, who was obviously in distress. He himself must have been a beta-tester as well.

"May I speak?" A man from the crowd stood up.

He walked his way past the audience, up beside Diabel and Kibaou.

"My name is Egil." He spoke, introducing himself. "Kibaou-san, tell me if I have this right. You're saying that because the beta-testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Correct?"

Kibaou looked at the man, slightly shocked but still confident.

"Y-Yeah.." He stuttered.

Egil reached into his pocket, revealing a little pamphlet that you had received in one of the shops in Horunka.

"You got this guide book, didn't you? It was provided for free at the item store." He asked.

"S-Sure I did," He stated. "Why?"

"It was complied from information given by the beta-testers." He stated, starting a commotion in the crowd.

"Listen. Everyone had equal access to this information. And even still, many players died." He spoke, looking into the crowd. "I thought the topic of discussion here was what we could learn from their deaths, and how that can help us defeat the boss." He spoke, turning around to look at Kibaou.

Kibaou grunted, sitting himself back down in defeat. Egil sat himself beside the man, allowing Diabel to continue.

"All right. Then, can we resume?" He asked. "The latest edition of that guide book was just issued, and it contains information on the boss. According to it, the bosses name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He is guarded by assistants known as Ruin Kobold Sentinels. He is armed with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one enters the red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Talawar. His attack pattern changes as well."

People began to mutter amongst themselves as Diabel shut his book and looked out into the crowd, noticing you.

"This concludes the briefing." He smiled. "Lastly, items will be automatically distributed. EXP goes to the party that defeats the monster. And whoever receives an item keeps it. Any objections?"

Your eyes scanned the crowd, trying to piece out what they were all feeling at the moment.

"Okay," He sighed. "We leave tomorrow at 10 in the morning. See you there!"

The crowd all stood up, leaving you three the only ones sitting. But as you turned to your left to speak to Kirito and Asuna, you found Asuna gone, leaving just you and Kirito.

"Thanks again for letting me join your party, Kirito-kun." You smiled standing up.

You reached out your hand in front of the boy as you spoke.

"I never introduced myself," You spoke. "My name is [Name], although you probably already knew that."

"I'm Kirito."He spoke calmly, shaking your offered hand.

You sighed in annoyance.

"Why is everyone I meet so quiet and calm? Could you two be any more similar?" You spoke.

"Who?"He asked, confused.

"You and Asuna. I met her on Launch Day," You began. "So a while back."

"She didn't seem to recognize you."

You rolled your eyes jokingly.

"That's probably because our appearances were altered, I only recognized her because of that hooded cloak of hers." You spoke, jealousy overcoming yourself. "What I'd do to get one of those. Especially a black one."

Kirito stared off into space, not putting any regards toward your statement.

"You were a beta-tester, weren't you?" You asked.

"What?" He spoke, trying his best not to show any sign of lying.

"You don't have to lie to me, Kirito-kun." You stood up, assuring him. "I was just wondering."

You began to walk away from the boy, toward the town.

"How did you know that?" He asked calmly, running after you.

"You have it written all over you." You smiled. "I guess you learn a few things from being guild leader a few times."

"Guild leader?" He asked, surprised.

"I was the guild leader for a few other games, but I mostly fought on my own." You sighed. "I was always afraid that someone would die on my watch."

"I won't let any of my party members die."

"Neither will I," You nodded in agreement. "So make sure not to die tomorrow, or else I might have to sacrifice myself for your sake."

You smiled at the boy reassuringly, turning back toward the shops.

"I'll see you tomorrow," You waved at the boy. "Make sure to eat plenty and sleep well!"

"You too." The boy spoke.

What an interesting group of friends. You slowly made your way into town, glancing over at the equipment and armor for sale at the shops. Although you weren't wealthy, you did have some money saved just in case you ever found something you loved. You placed your hands at your hips as you puffed out a huff of air. You eyes continued to glance around aimlessly until they spotted something you had never seen before. A white hooded cloak sat on display at the NPC store. You ran to the shack quickly and you spoke to the NPC.

"White hooded cloak please." You stated abruptly.

The lady walked over to the cloak, taking it off of display at handing it to you. A payment screen popped up in front of you, asking if the transaction was correct. You quickly accepted and thanked the NPC, leaving the shack and heading toward the other shops. You had found one! You had actually found a cloak that you had been looking for! Okay, maybe it was white instead of black, but white matched your hair color better anyways. You sighed, realizing the time. Just a few more hours till your could head to bed. Now, you just had to wait until tomorrow morning, let the race to the top begin.


	4. The Party: Chapter 4

"Kirito, Asuna." You spoke, grabbing the boys attention instantly, but not the girls.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking around at all the people standing by the entrance of the boss room.

"Asuna." You repeated yourself, getting a bit frustrated.

The girls head budged underneath her cloak, signaling that the girl had heard you. You sighed from aggravation.

"I thought that you'd say something about my cape…" You muttered, disappointingly. "I got the inspiration from your style, I hope you don't mind."

Asuna nodded, still staying silent, as you rolled your eyes.

"How about a plan?" Kirito requested.

"I agree." Asuna spoke.

You grunted, upset at the two's similarities once again. Thoughts ran through your head as you finally came up with an idea.

"You and Asuna should stay in the back." You looked over at the boy, hoping that the two would agree.

You then began to walk in a circle in front of the two, deep in thought about how the party should play it out.

"No." He stated, completely ignoring your request.

Your eyes widened a bit as you turned toward the boy.

"What?" You retaliated, slightly confused.

Asuna quickly stood up, making her way past the crowd and away from you and Kirito. But you didn't lose focus on what Kirito had just said to you. It made no sense! Anyone else would instantly agree to a deal like that. They still get XP, and they have no way of losing their lives that way. What was wrong with this boy?

"I'm not going to stand by and watch a party member out there." Kirito stated, looking off into the group of people. "It's not just our group going out there, it's all of these people too. The possibilities of a death will be more increased that way."

You looked past the boy, glancing over all the people huddled by the bosses room. He was right, it wasn't just you guys, it was all these people too, and many were certain to die inside this room.

"I guess you're right." You spoke, gulping down your saliva, and rubbing your head awkwardly.

"You two can stay in the back whenever we are chosen to go out. I won't let anyone on my team die except for myself."

Your eyes instantly squinted as you glanced back at the boy.

"How can you say that?" You asked, anger beginning to run throughout your body.

Kirito just simply turned his head with a confused expression on his face as he looked over at you.

"Never take responsibility for someone else's actions or mistakes!" You stated, tightening your fist. "It's not your fault if we get killed!"

"Hey, hey, no need to get all worked up." He spoke with an awkward expression, putting you at ease.

"Listen up, everyone! I have only one thing to say." You heard Diabel yell. "Let's win!"

At the mans request, Kirito stood up beside you, determination glistening in his pitch black eyes.

"Let's go!"

You nodded, turning around to find Asuna by your and Kirito's side again. You smiled, finally feeling secure with your party. Diabel placed his hand on the boss door, pushing it open. You gulped down your saliva, preparing for what was to come. The team of people slowly made their way into the room, activating the boss to awaken. You turned toward your two man team, seeing them both ready to go.

"ILLFang the Kobold Lord…" You muttered, repeating the bosses name to yourself.

Minions automatically appeared beside the boss at the sound of his roar, causing you to jump in surprise, but quickly adapt.

"Commence attack!" You heard Diabel yell, snapping you out of your gaze and back into the battle. Diabel continued to yell out commands, but one caught your attention rather instantly. "Squads D, E, and F, keep the sentinels off of us!"

You glanced at the man, giving a nod and running past Kirito to hit the minion in front of him. You quickly gripped onto your sword, flinging it out and slashing the enemy alongside Asuna. The three of you continued attacking, when suddenly your eye caught Diabel running alone toward the boss. What did he think he was doing?

"No!" Kirito yelled. "Jump back as fast as you can!"

Your body jolted in the direction of Diabel, finding him ignoring Kirito's advice. The boss quickly jumped across the room, eventually attacking Diabel with supreme power and throwing him half across the room.

"Diabel!" You yelled, terrified of what was going to happen.

You quickly ran toward the man, finding Kirito kneeling before him already. At the sight of this, you stopped in your tracks.

"Why did you try to do it alone?" You heard Kirito speak from afar, handing the man a HP potion.

You watched Diabels lips move, but his voice was too quiet for you to hear. Kirito reacted to the mans question with a shocked expression, causing you to run toward them, terror running through your body. You kneeled at his side, causing him to look at the two of you and smile.

"Please, defeat the boss." He winced. "For everyone."

"Diabel…" You muttered, not knowing what to say.

The mans body quickly shattered into a million pieces, leaving you to stare at the ground in shock. As you stayed lost in thought, Kirito stood up off the ground, looking toward the boss. The recent memories with Diabel began to come back to you as you stood up and walked beside Kirito.

"Let me go with you." You spoke, looking over at the boy with a serious expression. "For Diabel."

Kirito looked over at you and nodded.

"Thanks."

The two of you began to run, as Kirito explained the plan.

"We'll do it just like the sentinels." He called out, continuing to look forward.

You nodded, understanding what the boy wanted right away. As you continued making your way, the boss felt your presence and wielded his sword at his side, ready to attack. Kirito ran his way to the boss, clashing swords with the enemy almost instantly.

"Switch!" He yelled, causing you to quickly apply a sword skill and run at the monster.

You wielded your sword, ready to attack, as you heard Kirito call your name behind you.

"[Name]!"

Your eyes widened as you realized the boss was planning to attack, causing you to quickly jump out of the way, counter attacking momentarily. The boss stepped back a few feet, as you did the same. You quickly looked back at Kirito as you called out to him.

"What're you waiting for?" You yelled, causing him to flinch, standing up.

"He's coming back, let's go." The boy said, standing up and clashing swords with the boss once again.

As the two's swords clashed, you took this as an opening, stabbing your blade into the monsters side. You quickly stepped back, avoiding an attack from the boss. As you looked up off the ground, you watched Kirito fight, leaving you in awe.

"Crap!" You heard Kirito yell, seeing him with a wide opening.

You blinked, running your way in front of the boy. The bosses sword flung as you momentarily pushed yourself onto Kirito, making you both stumble onto the ground, and dodging the attack. As you brought your eyes up, you found the group fighting the boss once again with a man standing above the two of you.

"We'll hold him off until you recover." He smiled, reassuring your chances of living.

You nodded in thanks as Kirito pulled himself up off the ground, offering you his hand.

"We can't give up just yet." He spoke as you accepted his help and pulled yourself up.

Kirito's head suddenly jolted toward the boss as he let go of your hand, grabbing his sword and activating a skill. He quickly jumped up toward the boss, causing you to stand in shock.

"I'll get you first!" He yelled, slicing the monsters side, causing the boss to fall onto the ground.

You looked over at the boy, still in shock. How can he do something like this without worry? How could he be making split-second decisions in a place like this?

"What are you standing there for? Let's do this, [Name]!" He yelled, snapping you out of your terror and causing you to run alongside him.

"We've got this." You yelled, slashing your sword at the boss, causing him to wince in pain.

This was no longer a game anymore, but a very big chance of being killed. But you were so young, while others were even younger. You all were stuck in this game, under control of this creator, someone who didn't care for you at all. But you'd make him care once you showed the others your skill and determination to live. One after another, the two of your attacked the monster, Kirito eventually slicing half of the bosses body, and killing him off. You stood still, watching the boys last hit, as he jumped down beside you.

"We did it!" You heard the people yell, looking over at Kirito.

The boy had a screen in front of him, causing you to wonder. You walked beside him and read the screen. Your eyes widened in surprise.

"You got the last-"

"Why?" You heard a man yell behind you. "Why did you let Diabel die?"

You jumped at the mans accusation toward Kirito as you quickly retaliated.

"That wasn't his fault-"

"Let him die?" Kirito interrupted, confused at the mans question.

"Of course! You knew the technique the boss used! If you would have told us about it upfront, he wouldn't of died!" He yelled, causing you to wonder about why Kiroto didn't say anything to them.

"He must be a beta-tester!" You heard one man yell.

Your eyes widened at the mans thought as you made your way through the crowd and toward the man who had spoken up.

"That's how he knew all the boss's attack patterns!" He continued.

You stopped in front of the man, looking up at him.

"You have no reason to make such an accusation."

The man looked at you in shock as Kibaou began to yell at you.

"If you're defending him, you must be a beta-tester too!"

"Eh?" You screeched from surprise.

The crowd suddenly began to mutter as you suddenly heard a voice chuckle.

"A beta-tester?" Kirito asked, causing you to jerk in his direction. The boy stood up, beginning to walk in front of the people, and in front of Kibaou. "I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies."

"W-What?" Kibaou questioned.

"Most of the thousand beta-testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up. You guys are better than they are," He continued. "But I'm not like them." He stated, causing you to worry. "I made it higher than anyone else during the beta-test. The reason I knew the boss's skill is because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us. I know a lot more. Way more than any information broker."

You gulped. This didn't seem like the boy you had met yesterday. This man felt, different.

"What?" Kibaou repeated, extremely confused and scared. "That's way worse than a beta-tester! You're cheating! A cheater! A beta-tester and a cheater! A beater!"

"A beater.." Kirito muttered to himself, sending a shiver down your spine. "I like it. That's right, I'm a beater." He spoke, opening up his inventory and placing on a black coat. "From now on, don't confuse me with the other testers."

The boy let out a small chuckle, quickly glancing over at Kibaou and walking toward the exit.

"Hey!" You yelled, chasing after the boy, making your way through the crowd.

The boy stopped as he turned his head toward you, continuing to keep his cool exterior.

"What is it?" He asked.

"What do you mean, 'What is it?'" You pouted. "You can't just leave me like that? We're a party, aren't we?"

"That's right." He spoke, opening his menu, and making his way to the party tab. He dissolved the party without hesitation, leaving you alone.

"So what? You're just going to leave?" You asked, slightly aggravated.

"You're a pretty good player, [Name]. I know I'll see you again."

"Well then," You spoke, making your way in front of the boy. "Good luck out there...I'll see you around." You nodded, reaching your hand out to his and shaking it.

"I'll see you around."

And with that, Kirito left the room, advancing to the next floor with no one by his side, leaving you to wonder what the male planned to do as a solo player. Maybe you could do the same. An old legend is revived as a solo-player… that sounded just about right.


	5. The Red-Headed Woman:Chapter 5

"About four-hundred in around ten seconds," You heard the male say, shocking you. That voice…"That's the total damage you seven can do to me. I'm level seventy-eight. I have fourteen-thousand five hundred HP. My battle healing skill auto-regenerates six-hundred points every ten seconds. We could stand here all day, and you'd never beat me."

You walked casually until you made it in front of the boy.

"Kirito, is that you?"

It had been ages since you had seen the boy, and you still weren't sure that it was even possible that he was alive. But somewhere in your heart, you always knew he was still out there somewhere. You continued to make your way across the bridge, stopping beside a little browned headed girl who Kirito seemed to be protecting. You looked up at the men surrounding Kirito, as well as the red-headed woman in front of him.

"Level seventy-eight, huh…" You muttered, thinking about all the improvement he had made since you last saw him.

"[Name]?" He questioned, turning toward your direction with a slightly shocked but still calm facial expression. "You shouldn't be here…."

You chuckled quietly to yourself. You pulled your hood down, revealing your face to the others. You walked between the men, looking at their orange bars calmly.

"Would you like any help? Although I know you don't need any." You spoke crossing your arms. "I hope so anyways.."

"What are you guys doing! Attack the girl too!" The woman blurted out, commanding the men. "Hurry up before they have the chance to do anything!"

A smirk arose on your face as one of the men approached you. You pulled out your sword in front of them, showing off your title.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." You scoffed.

"Damn it!" You heard one man say in the back.

"First the black swordsman, but now the weapon goddess too?"

"Wait-" Another spoke, panic appearing on his face. "The white cloak? Silver sword… I-It is you!"

You rolled your eyes in aggravation.

"I don't know why people keep calling me that." You sighed from frustration. "You win a few duels to make some money, and everyone labels you..."

"Is it true that you're also the also fell from your position as guild leader?" The lady chuckled. "What a bad excuse for a "Legend"."

You quickly bolted past the men, placing a small slash against the woman, causing her health bar to turn red.

"Arhg-" She winced, causing a smirk to arise on your face. You looked down, realizing that the only thing that was keeping her from falling onto the floor in pain was your grip on her shirt.

You stared down at the woman coldly as you placed your sword back onto your side and released her armor.

"I left my position as leader," You spit. "Not the other way around."

Kirito stared at you speechless. You had never been this cold before, but having this woman remind you of the tragedy that occurred after you left your last guild didn't help her situation much.

"Take it away, Kirito." You sighed from the large use of effort.

"My client spent his entire fortune to buy this warp crystal," He began pulling out the warp crystal from his inventory. "It's set to take you to the prison. You're all going there!"

"Damn it!" You whined. "Are you sure I can't just kill all of them instead, Kirito?"

Kirito's eyes widened at your question.

"What?" One of the men yelped.

"I don't want to die!"

A devious smile arose on your face as you pulled out your silver blade. You walked back over beside Kirito, in the middle of the men as you grunted.

"How can you kill others without the thought that they are gone forever, but be afraid of being killed yourselves?" You asked.

The men didn't answer, but instead kept quiet. Kirito quickly used the warp crystal as the men all disappeared. The hurt woman looked up at you with fear and aggravation.

"You're going to regret this!" She winced, pulling herself up and attempting to run away.

Kirito began to walk after the woman, with his clear intentions. You quickly grabbed onto his jacket, pulling him back beside you.

"Let her go." You spoke, gritting your teeth.

"I can't let her get away with saying that to you, [Name]-" He muttered, the same look in his eyes as you had just a few moments ago.

"It's not your job to deal with that." You scoffed, causing the boys eyes to widen.

You were right. He didn't have a reason to stop the woman, but even so, he wanted her dead. You looked into the boys eyes, realizing that he was barley listening to you. Your faces were a few inches apart as you realized that you were still holding onto his jacket.

"Uhm-" You heard a voice say, causing the two of you to avert your attention to the little girl.

"Kirito! That was amazing!" She yelped, taking the boy way from your grasp and hugging him.

You looked over at Kirito, a small smile appearing on his face, causing your heart to warm up slightly. The boy looked over at you, pulling the little girl off his body.

"Sicilia, I'd like you to meet [Name]." He spoke, pointing toward you.

You smiled, approaching the girl. You looked down at Sicilia who seemed to have an aggravated and upset facial expression on her face.

"Are you Kirito's girlfriend?" She spoke, causing both you and Kirito to jump in unison.

"No!" You yelped.

"Of course not!" Kirito yelled.

The two of you looked at each other, both of you wearing blush on your cheeks.

"If you aren't together then why do you two know each other?" Sicilia growled, crossing her arms.

"I met Kirito a long time ago, Sicilia…" You spoke, placing your hand on her head. "We are just old acquaintances."

"Actually Sicilia, did you know that I met [Name] the first day of the game?" Kirito added, placing his hand onto the girls shoulder. "We beat the first floor boss together."

"You've known each other for that long?" She screeched, jumping back a little bit.

The two of you nodded.

"Then why aren't you guys in contact anymore?"

Kirito instantly gained a serious expression as he answered the girls question.

"You know I'm a solo-player, Sicilia."

"Actually, I am too." You added, causing the boy to wonder.

Silence began to fill the air.

"Hey!" You jumped, a great idea popping up in your mind. "Why don't you two join me for some dinner?"

"No, we should really-" Kirito began.

"We'd love to, [Name]-san!" Sicilia interrupted, a huge grin appearing on her face. "But we'd have to meet you somewhere, we have something we have to do first."

Kirito looked down at the girl shockingly, as he soon turned back to normal.

"Then it's settled." Kirito spoke calmly. "Where should we meet?"

"How about the cafe right next to the inn in town?" You spoke, pointing to the nearby city. "How does 6:00 sound?"

"I-" Kirito tried to speak, just to be interrupted again.

"We will see you then [Name]-san! Thank you again!" Sicilia exclaimed with a smile, pulling Kirito away by her side.

You smiled and waved as you watched Kirito barley keeping up with the little girl. You knew he was out there somewhere, and now you had the perfect chance to show him all your progress and skill, all of course better than his.


	6. Nothing More, Nothing Less: Chapter 6

"Kirito…." You quietly muttered to yourself as you positioned your head of your knees on the flat bed.

Flashbacks of the first time you had experienced battling with him quickly made their way back into your mind.

"A beta-tester?" You remembered the boy say as he stood up off the ground, eventually making his way in front of Kibaou. "I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies."

Another memory traced its' way into your mind as you gulped down your saliva.

"A beater.." You thought, remembering Kirito muttering to himself. A shiver ran down your back as you were reminded of the way the boy spoke. "I like it. That's right, I'm a beater. From now on, don't confuse me with the other testers."

Your fists tightened furiously as you felt your fingernails dig their way into your skin, leaving marks of their presence along your palms. Your eyes traveled down to your palms as you slowly averted your attention to the floor.

"About four-hundred in around ten seconds, that's the total damage you seven can do to me. I'm level seventy-eight." You remembered hearing.

"We could stand here all day, and you'd never beat me."

Your eyes squinted from aggravation as you suddenly felt a bare tear dribble down the side of your cheek, watching it fall to the floor. Were you- were you crying?  
You brought your hand up to your cheek, as you felt the tears being released from your (e/c) eyes. You were right… You were crying. You chuckled slightly, your subtle laugh soon erupting into a lowly chuckle.

"Level seventy-eight!" You laughed, trying to calm yourself down a little bit. You pulled up your stats as you silently read over them, feeling the excitement run through your veins completely. You were level eighty, just a few levels above the well known black swordsman. "What a joke."

You pulled yourself up as you swiftly wiped away the several tears from your pale face. Slowly making your way to your mirror, you equipped your armor and sword, causing you to smirk.

"You wouldn't stand a chance." You spoke confidently.

"Knights of Arkay…" You mumbled to yourself as you reached for your hood, pulling it over you (h/c) colored head. "I'm sorry to have disappointed you."

You silently made your way to the door as you traveled to the meeting spot you had arranged with Kirito and Silica, waiting for the two to arrive.

"[Name]-san!" You heard a childish voice yelp from in front of you, causing you to push yourself off the wall.

"I'm glad you guys decided to come." You smiled, looking over at Kirito.

"I didn't have much of a choice." The boy joked as his eyes trailed down to Silicia.

You chuckled quietly as you gently pushed the two into the restaurant, sitting across from them. Kirito sighed.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He asked as you watched him stretch his arms as if he had just come from a hard workout.

Kirito's eyes locked with yours for a mere second before you quickly snapped away from his gaze.

"H-how are you guys?" You asked with a nervous tone, trying to hide your embarrassment.

"[Name]-san, Kirito-san, are you sure you guys are just aq-"

"I'm sure!" Kirito answers, a bit too suddenly. "We aren't much of friends anyways, right?"

You paused for a moment, feeling extremely disappointed at the boy's statement. What did he mean not much of friends? He's the one who left. He thought he was so great, didn't he? _What a joke._ You chuckled to yourself quietly before smothering on a plastic like smile onto your face.

"Yes, Silica-chan." You agreed, nodding your head. " _Nothing more, nothing less."_


	7. As If: Chapter 7

"Yes, Silica-chan." You agreed, nodding your head. " _Nothing more, nothing less."_

Silica looked up at you and paused, almost as if she was about to say something, but decided not to.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone about it then, [Name]-san." She smiled slightly, slouching back against the chair.

You let out a quiet sigh of relief as you crossed your legs underneath the table, accidentally kicking Kirito in the process. You kicked again to make sure it was a leg and not a pole as you saw Kirito jump up in surprise.

"W-what are you doing?!" He screeched, causing you to look up at him plainly, as you still didn't realize that it was his leg that you kicked.

You stayed silent as you leaned slightly back, looking under the table and at your leg. Your face suddenly turned bright red as you abruptly yanked your leg back to your body and trailed your eyes back at Kirito.

"Hello?" Kirito growled, obviously upset. "Are you deaf or something?"

"Hey, hey…" You sighed, disappointed at hearing his accusation. "I'm not deaf."

"You may as well be if you're going to completely ignore me." The swordsman shot back, glaring at you. "What the hell are you doing kicking me?"

"Oooo~!" You heard Silica coo, grinning from cheek to cheek. "You guys are playing footsies!"

Both you and Kirito's faces turned bright red as they turned to Silica almost instantly, yelling a simple no to cease her wrong thinking.

"That's not what we were doing!" You yelled, crossing your arms against your chest and glaring at the young girl.

" _She_ was kicking me..." Kirito growled, taking a sip of his drink as he sighed.

"Good idea," You muttered as you leaned back against your chair lazily. "Throw me under the bus."

Kirito simply glared at you, the two of you exchanging a long stare as Silica watched creepily.

"There's no way you two aren't dating, Kirito-san." She huffed, crossing her arms angrily.

"Well we aren't." He sighed, instantly breaking the eye contact between you and him and taking another sip of his drink as he sat up out of his seat. "Maybe we should just leave."

"What?" Silica cried, looking up at him shockingly. "B-but we just got here!"

"Yeah, the kid's right." You muttered, yawning slightly. "You haven't even eaten yet."

"Maybe I'm not hungry." He stated, glaring at you as you slyly avoided his gaze.

"I think your darling Silica is." You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms across your chest with a huff. "Stop acting like you're all that and just sit down and eat like a normal person, Kirito."

You felt his gaze harden almost instantly as you decided rather suddenly to look up at the male with pure aggravation in your glare. The black haired male looked directly back with you with a slight bit of surprise, your look never faltering. Your eyes staring directly into his as you straightened your back against your seat.

"I don't believe you should be as arrogant as you're putting yourself out to be." The males voice vibrated throughout your ears as you felt your jaw clench together.

Almost feeling as if your teeth would clatter into a million pieces if you kept that tight clench in your jaw, you suddenly released. A moment or two after, your lips formed a small smirk, almost invisibly hid under your hair.

"Hm." You laughed slightly, your eyes shut.

"[N-Name]-san.." You heard Silica's fragile voice speak up, causing you to open your eyes and continue to stare directly at Kirito.

"Maybe we should chat about this outside," You began, staying completely still. "Without Silica-chan being present."

"Maybe we should."

Your smirk gradually grew a bit wider. Perfect, it was all so perfect. You couldn't believe the feeling you were currently feeling. It was sensational, no. It was _beyond_ sensational. It was exactly what you wanted. But no, you couldn't just yet. This wasn't the time to celebrate… no. You were so close to what you wanted, but you didn't have it, not yet. Just a few little steps closer, and you'd have the threat directly in your blood covered hands…exactly everything you've ever wanted.  
But all there was, was silence. No one spoke. Kirito slowly broke his gaze with you as you all sipped your drinks silently, yet patiently. You were so close to victory, to everything your mind has been wanting. It was almost as if you had gone crazy. Your thoughts… all blood crazed. What had gotten into you..? Madness… pain….strength. You wanted that title, weapon goddess? That's a bullshit joke. That wasn't enough. But if you could get your hands covered in the black swordsman's blood, nothing could stop you then. You'd be the most feared player in the game…and that's all you'd ever want.

"Excuse me miss-" You heard a voice beside you suddenly say as you turned to see a little girl with light blonde hair speak up.

"Hm?" You asked with slight shock as you barley moved away.

"I-I was wondering if I could get your help.." The girl began, her eyes almost instantly becoming watery. "Y-You're the weapon goddess, right?"

Your eyes instantly widened at the name the girl had called you, a feeling of anger covering you. Someone wanted you, and they were using this girl to get you. What, was that too much of a quick inference to make? Hell no. This has happened to you in other games. Someone frail and weak comes as begs you for help, but as you follow that little weakling, you suddenly find yourself surrounded by higher leveled players with no way out. But they already knew where you were, the only thing else you could do at this very moment was fight the men who had sent this girl to you.  
You quickly grabbed the little girl by her collar as you picked her up alongside you, pulling her face close to yours.

"Just tell me where they are, and if they can beat me, they can have me and all that I have." You snapped at the girl, your fist tightening.

A small smirk arose on the girls lips before tears began strolling down her face. The girl suddenly began to cry, instantly running off and out of the restaurant.

"Don't get killed." Kirito spoke up groggily, leaning back in his chair.

"As if." You growled under your breath, not even taking a look back as you ran after the girl into the dark night.


End file.
